A witty, sweet romance with memorable, honest charactersLove does not have an accent ...

Dr. Adelina Roseland has worked ten years in research as an accent reduction specialist to attain her dream job. But a secret wager to transform Appalachian cattle farmer Reese Mitchell into corporate material challenges Adelina in ways she never expected, threatening her new position. ​

For one, Adelina didn't plan for the faith and friction of Reese, or the unexpected influence of his chaotic family. Now, drawn into a culture she'd tried to forget,

Adelina finds the warmth of family, the hope of faith, and the joy of love melting away the deep wounds of her past.

But when Reese discovers that he's a pawn in her climb up the academic ladder, will he forgive Adelina s deceit or will their miscommunication end in two broken lives? ​

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is the mom of 5 great kids, speech-pathologist to about fifty more, lover of chocolate, jazz, and Jesus, and proud AlleyCat over at a group writing blog, The Writer’s Alley. Her debut historical romance novel, The Thorn Bearer, released in May 2015, with the second arriving in February 2016. Her first contemporary romance debuts in April 2016.

I feel like I’ve always
been writing or at least having some fascination with ‘story’. I also
come from a long line of Appalachian storytellers, so I grew up listening to my
Granny give oral history back 5 or 6 generations. I think that was one of my
early influences to writing, but I also believe God planted this desire for
story-creating in my heart. When I was 10 my Granny bought me a typewriter and
said “Because a writer needs one”.

2.How long does it take
you to write a book?

It depends on the book, I guess. Historicals
should take me longer but since I’ve been under deadline lately, I’ve been writing
them as quickly as my contemporaries. And because I work full-time and am a mom
of five, writing happens in nooks and crannies of life. For the last few books,
it’s taken about 4 months each.

3.What is your work
schedule like when you're writing?

Since I work during the day as a speech-language
pathologist, I usually write in the evenings- usually after my youngest are in
bed. I start around 9 and write until I can’t any more ;-) usually 11pm.

4.What would you say is
your interesting writing quirk?

I’m not sure. I know that I love constantly
brainstorming while I write, so I’ve been very blessed to have a small group of
readers/authors who help me along the story-creating journey. They’re AMAZING!
(Yes, you – Carrie, Rachael W, Rachael M, Mikal, Marisa, and Meghan)

5.Where do you get your
information or ideas for your books?

Ideas come from lots of
different places. I can watch a movie, read a book, see a news article, listen
to a conversation…any and all of those have been inspirations for a novel. ‘Real life’ also inspires when writing fiction, and I’m glad of it. I love
bringing influences from the ‘real world’ into the imaginary because I think
that makes the stories more relatable – whether it is through characteristics
of the characters, struggles they face, or challenges they overcome.

As far as information –
I do most of my research online, in books, or interview those with knowledge of
the time period or profession I may need.

6.When did you write your
first book and how old were you?

I only remember the one
I wrote when I was 10, but my mom says I’ve been creating stories for longer
than that.

7.What do you like to do
when you're not writing?

I love spending time
with my kids, reading, enjoying hikes in these beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, and
listening to music.

8.What does your family
think of your writing?

My kids have been some
of my best supports, only second to my parents. They’ve prayed with me before
submitting manuscripts and my daughter, Lydia, is my biggest fan.

9.What was one of the most
surprising things you learned in creating your books?

That people actually
liked them ;-) And that I can write more of them. That was a surprise because
each time I finish another one I’m amazed!

10.How many books have you
written? Which is your favorite?

I’ve finished 8 novels
and have 3 more partially written – but only four have been contracted so far.
My favorite contemporary is a yet to be released published novel, Just the Way
You Are. My favorite historical I’ve written so far is The Thorn Keeper.

11.Do you have any
suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?

Keep writing and try to enjoy the journey. I’ve been
writing ever since I was a little girl and I started pursuing publication 11
years ago. Now, it isn’t so long for some people and longer for others, but the
main focus should be on writing. I think it’s good to spend time studying craft
and learning from mentors, but the real hallmark of a writer…is writing.

12.Do you hear from your
readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

I hear from a lot of readers
and have received some of the sweetest personal letters, especially related to
the very deep subject matter of The Thorn Bearer.

13.Do you like to create
books for adults?

Oh yes, I LOVE it!! But
I also have a few YA series planned and lots of picture books.

14.What do you think makes
a good story?

Strong characters with a
believable purpose – and since I write inspirational fiction, I think good
stories have a spiritual thread.

15.As a child, what did you
want to do when you grew up?

First I wanted to be a
pediatrician so I could be called Dr. Pepper, but I’ve always wanted to be a
writer. I love teaching and Literature, so I thought for a little while I’d be an English teacher…so I
kind of put both professions together to become a speech-language pathologist.